16
Alarie
“Good evening, little star.”
A man appeared out of the shadows of the foliage surrounding the courtyard. I saw his icy blue-gray eyes appear out of the darkness before I could make out the rest of his features.
I was walking from House Rein to House Heroux for the Fall Ball. I was alone and running very late. I had spent the entire time that people were downstairs at Rhett’s pre-Ball festivities getting ready for the Ball. I convinced Rhett and Luke to leave without me, promising to catch up with them at the Ball.
Little star? I thought, stopping my hurried steps.
“Oh.”
I could make out his blue hair and his shorter, wide frame now that he was closer. I recognized him as the man who had saved me from falling flat on my face earlier in the year when I had slipped on a slippery cobblestone. I had never gotten the man’s name at our last meeting. It seemed rude to ask at this point, so I brushed past it.
“Hi. Are you here for the King’s party?” I asked the unusual lesser fae man with high fae light-hazel eyes.
“Grey must have forgotten to send out my invitation,” the man replied.
I furrowed my brows at the implication that this man was on a first name basis with the King.
“But no, I’m not here for the King’s celebration or the Fall Ball,” he continued. “I’m here for you.”
I scanned my surroundings. Everyone else had already made their way inside House Heroux. The sound of water cycling through the grandiose fountain behind me filled the otherwise silent courtyard.
“That’s, um, nice,” I replied, unsure of how to respond. I really didn’t have the time or the desire to properly play the High Court game of flirting. I needed to get inside and find Cass.
“But I really have to get going. My boyfriend…” I emphasized the word. Cass wasn’t exactly my boyfriend. But the strange man didn’t need to know that. “Is in there waiting for me and—”
The man moved to stand directly in front of me. He was taller than me but not by much since I wore heels. He covered my mouth with his large hand and wrapped his other hand around the back of my head, stifling my words. I saw a look of pleasure register on his face as he took in the sight of my eyes going wide with surprise.
“Little star, as much as I can’t wait to learn every little thing about you, we will have to catch up later. We really need to get going now,” the man said.
My blood was pounding through my veins as I thought about what to do. He released a growl at the sight of fear creeping into my eyes. I tried to fight my way out of his embrace, pulling at his hands, scratching at his arms, but his hands on me were like vise grips. I was also severely restricted by my stiletto heels and my tight dress. Even if I did get free, I knew I wouldn’t be able to run. I was more likely to turn my ankle and fall on my face than I was to escape.
And then there was a blur of movement. A wet, warm liquid splashed across my face. Instinctively, I closed my eyes to avoid getting it in my eyes. I heard a gurgling noise and then opened my eyes to see the lesser fae man thrown halfway across the courtyard, his head barely attached to his shoulders.
The most gorgeous man I had ever seen stood in front of me. He pulled a handkerchief out of thin air, wiping off the knife he had just used to cut the lesser fae’s throat, then shoved the blade and the dirty handkerchief somewhere at his side into a pocket of darkness. They just disappeared.
Despite my shock, it registered with me that he was, without a doubt, the most irresistible man I had ever found myself in the presence of.
Rhett may have been the most classically handsome man I had ever seen. He could charm the pants right off almost any woman.
And Luke—he was just beautiful and perfect, inside and out. A woman was likely to forget altogether that she even had pants around Luke, much less come up with any reason why she wouldn’t want him inside of them.
But the man who stood before me—shadows of darkness rolling off him and making him appear as one with the fall night—he was the kind of man who made a woman forget her pants and immediately think of what was underneath. He was the kind of man who made a woman want to lose her religion, or more likely, find a new one that involved happily selling her soul in exchange for just a single night to pray at his altar.
“Is almost getting kidnapped turning into some kind of hobby of yours?” he asked coolly. He pulled a clean handkerchief out of the same darkness he had disposed of the dirty handkerchief and blade in.
He wiped gently at my face, but I jerked back, my hand shooting to his and stopping his movement. When my hand touched his, a flicker of surprise, or anger, or something, flashed across his face, but then it was gone. He raised his dark eyebrows, took a step back, and calmly handed me the handkerchief to wipe the blood from my own face. I noted that he did not have a drop of blood on him. He was eerily calm for someone who had just slit another man’s throat so thoroughly that he’d nearly ripped the man’s head off.
I looked down at the soft, white piece of cloth in disbelief. I ran my fingers over the letters “NAH” monogrammed in the corner of the handkerchief. Guards clad in black leather ran up to the tall, dark, handsome lord.
“Stay here,” he ordered, not waiting for my response.
He spoke to the guards for a few minutes and then made his way back to me where I stood shell-shocked but no longer covered in any blood. He softly grabbed my arm, gently tucking it under his own, and began to drag me toward the main hall.
“Well?” he asked.
“Well, what?” I retorted, looking down at his hand on me incredulously.
“Why was someone trying to kidnap you?” he asked, exasperated, showing some kind of real emotion for the first time.
He seemed like the kind of man who was used to getting answers without having to repeat himself. A trumpet sounded. He pushed me into the main hall and began to jog away from me.
“Stay in my sight until I get a chance to speak to you,” he called over his shoulder, again, not waiting for a response. He clearly expected his orders to be followed.
I scanned my dress. By some miracle, I did not have any blood on me. There was no outward sign of the struggle I’d been in minutes before. I scanned the room, trying to shake off the last five minutes as I looked for Cass.
I didn’t know what disturbed me more. The guy who tried to kidnap me or the guy who so casually slit the other guy’s throat right in front of me and then proceeded to show no other concern other than an apparent need to boss me around.
“What were you doing with the Prince?” Cass asked.
Cass had found me in the crowd before I could see him, which made sense since he towered over everyone whereas I was shoulder height for most, at best.
“Huh?” I said, scanning the crowd for the annoyingly rude man. “The Prince!” I exclaimed, realizing what Cass had said.
I pulled out the dirty handkerchief still covered in blood and looked at the initials monogrammed in the corner. NAH: Nikolas Heroux.
“Yeah. You didn’t know?” Cass chuckled.
I was saved from having to answer any of his questions by the sounds of the trumpet announcing the arrival of the King and the members of his House.
“I’ll explain later,” I replied.
Sure enough, the man who had dabbed blood from my cheek minutes before was now wearing a simple gold crown encrusted with small emeralds atop his head. He stood to the King’s immediate right.
I saw him glance over the faces in the crowd until he spotted me. With the intensity of his deep green eyes, he reaffirmed that he would be seeking me out the moment he was free of his obligations.
* * * *
“Lord Davante.” The Prince of Valencia held his hand out to Cass.
Cass took his hand. “Prince Heroux,” he replied respectfully.
Reading the look of surprise on Cass’s face, the Prince explained, “It’s my business to know the men who fight for this Kingdom, Commander.”
“This is Mandy,” Cass said, gesturing to me at his side.
I squeezed Cass’s biceps, or what little I could fit under my hand, in protest.
“I mean, Lady Alarie Armand,” Cass corrected himself, so unused to High Court etiquette, especially when it came to me.
“Why was someone trying to kidnap you?” the Prince asked, again, without preamble.
“What the fuck is he talking about?” Cass blurted out, forgetting any attempt at maintaining decorum.
“Alarie, that’s why you were late!?” Cass exclaimed, using my real name as he so rarely did. “Are you okay?” he asked, running his hands over the top of my arms. I nodded, patting his hand reassuringly.
The Prince turned back to Cass.
“Do you know why?” the Prince asked.
“Can we talk about this somewhere else?” Cass asked, cautiously looking at the crowd around us. His hand that wasn’t on me moved near his belt, and I knew he was strapped down with weapons, despite wearing a suit.
I doubted anyone had heard a word we’d said because it was so loud with chatter in the main hall. They were talking about me like I wasn’t standing right there in front of them. I waited impatiently to see when they would realize this and direct their attention back to me. But that didn’t happen.
The Prince nodded his head for Cass to follow him and turned his back to me without another word. The Prince looked back to find Cass reluctant to leave my side after the news that someone had tried to take me by force.
“The guards are watching her. She’ll be fine,” the Prince assured Cass, indicating the guards positioned throughout the room who were indeed focused on me. Cass leaned in and kissed me sweetly on the cheek.
“We are talking about this as soon as I get back,” he whispered.
Tight-lipped, I watched them walk away. Well, I wasn’t going to stand there like an idiot waiting for them to come back. I spotted James not too far away and moved to join her.
* * * *
Their conversation had taken longer than I had anticipated. The Prince sought me out, meeting my eyes with the deep forest green of his own and indicating for me to join them with a nod of his head. I excused myself from High Lord Preston and his husband’s company and walked toward the Prince and Cass. Cass’s demeanor was markedly different from when he had left my side. He looked pissed.
I looked at Cass. He was not one to hold his tongue. If he had something to say, normally he didn’t care who was around to hear it. So his silence was puzzling. But if Cass was pissed, then I was pissed too. I directed my gaze to the Prince, allowing an annoyed expression to settle onto my face.
“Congratulations, princess. You work for House Heroux now,” the Prince stated flatly.
I had no idea what had transpired between the Prince and Cass, but if the Prince wanted to be rude, then I could be rude too.
“No, I don’t,” I replied, matching his clipped tone.
“I’m senior counselor to House Dumont,” I replied proudly.
Cass smiled at me.
“So you’re turning down my offer of senior counselor to House Heroux, then?”
I would be crazy to turn down an offer like that. Working for House Heroux was one of the most coveted positions at the High Court.
“I don’t recall ever receiving that offer,” I quipped. But my anger was cooling. I was beginning to understand the source of Cass’s displeasure. He would, of course, want me to continue in House Dumont’s service. But, at the same time, I knew he would not begrudge me accepting this kind of opportunity.
“Do you want the job or not?” the Prince asked, exasperated.
It seemed that being bossy and exasperated was the only way he knew how to act around me.
“Yes,” I replied truthfully.
“Then meet me outside of House Heroux at nine a.m. tomorrow morning,” he directed. “Commander,” he said, inclining his head to Cass slightly.
“My Prince,” Cass replied respectfully.
The Prince sharply turned on his heels and walked away from me.